


True Love's Kiss

by Veirtyel



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: But Nicky still loves him, Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Humor, Joe is a dramatic bitch, M/M, Temporary Character Death, he dies but like not for long cause fuck that, we don't do that here - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25543672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veirtyel/pseuds/Veirtyel
Summary: Nicky loved Joe for countless reasons. His incurable romanticism, his boldness and drive to help others, his ability to make anything he see's into a beautiful piece of art.Him and his dramatic-ass (yet romantic) after a death is just another one of those reasons.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 9
Kudos: 252





	True Love's Kiss

It was a fairly simple mission Copley gave them. Copley had finally figured out the movement of a sex trafficking ring, and the girls were supposedly locked away in the basement of a building waiting to be transported across the ocean from Australia to Indonesia.

It was an easy mission, for the group of immortals at least. Get in, release the girls, get them in the helicopter to Sydney, and get out. For the most part, that’s exactly how it went.

Only one death. Of course, that death lasted all of 5 seconds.

“Clear left!”

“Clear right!”

“Nicky?”

Nicky moved slowly into the dark room, pistol up, flashlight barely giving him any visibility. _The girls, where are the girls_. He did a quick sweep, the flashlight illuminating each corner of the dark room. It was empty.

“Clear!” Nicky yelled. There were three rooms left according to the schematics given to them by Copley, so either Joe, Nile, or Andy would be finding the girls and possible opposition. That made Nicky backup.

He made his way towards the closest room, pistol raised, and his sword warm against his thigh. He wasn’t expecting to use it, already this mission seemed simple enough that there was no need to bring out a longsword when a couple of bullets would work just fine. Nile had already taken care of the two guards outside the building, and there had been only one man inside who Andy took out with a silent bullet to the head. So far, the mission was easier than most.

Nicky was about to enter the next room when he heard voices, male voices, and none of them belonged to Joe. Nicky slowed his pace, lowering his pistol at his side so he could take a look into the room. The first thing he saw was two men talking quietly, but their body language told Nicky they were nervous. Both had guns raised slightly, but their hands kept regripping the weapons. They were dressed in body armor. There were three other body’s on the ground dressed similarly, one whose neck was bent at an awkward angle, the other had a pool of blood building around his stomach, and the third which was missing an arm. What Nicky saw next to them made his blood boil.

Joe was on the ground, eyes glassy with blood spilling out of his neck. Above him was another man, searching his body for whatever he could get his hands on. 

Needless to say, the pistol went away and the longsword came out.

Nicky barged into the room. “Take your hands off him.”

The man above Joe fumbled from his gun, but before it could be raised his neck was already split open. He pointlessly grabbed at his wound with his hands and made a violent gurgling noise before he collapsed backward, dead.

Nicky turned his eyes towards the two remaining men, both of whom seemed shocked by the man with a sword. 

The first one raised his gun at Nicky, but Nicky was faster. He wacked his gun away with his sword, knocking it to the ground, then brought his sword upward so it sliced the man across his chest. He was dead before he hit the floor. The other man was just as slow and didn’t learn anything from his dead friend. He tried to shoot Nicky too, but he was close enough to allow Nicky to grab the barrel of the gun and quickly dodge the bullets that sprayed. He felt the heat from the gun burn his hand, but nothing could hold Nicky back right now, not when the person in front of him was the reason why the love of his life was dead on the floor. He kicked the man in the chest, pulling the gun from his grip. The man landed on his back and nothing could have stopped the sword from piercing his chest a moment later. 

Nicky stared into his eyes as life left them, turning glassy. Nicky removed the sword and didn’t bother wiping off the blood. He rushed Joe’s side. 

“Yusuf?” Nicky pleaded, immediately placing one hand under Joe’s head, and the other on his chest. He didn’t move. “Yusuf, per favore,” he tried again.

Nothing. Wait. Nicky swore he felt Joe’s chest rise and fall under his palm. He looked at his eyes which were now closed, but when he died they had been open. The slight smirk at the corner of Joe’s lips told Nicky all he needed to know.

Nicky sighed, partly out of relief, partly because of amusement, and laughed slightly. 

“Madre di Dio, this man,” Nicky muttered under his breath, loud enough that he knew Joe heard his exasperated sigh. “You’re really not going to wake up unless I do it?”

Joe’s silence told Nicky, yes, he’s really not going to wake up unless he does it. Nicky rolls his eyes but smiles fondly at his love’s, what Nile would call, “dramatic ass”. Nicky, with his hand now in Joe’s hair, leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Joe’s lips, an act he’s done a thousand times before, but nonetheless sends a sense of euphoria throughout his body each time. He pulls back and Joe immediately opens his eyes.

“Ah!” He pulls himself up so he’s now on his elbows. “Only true love's kiss!”

Nicky’s hand has moved from his hair to the back of his neck. “You’re ridiculous, mio amore.”

“Yes, but you still love me for it.”

Nicky sighed, because yes, he loved him for it. He loved him for the romantic (and sometimes ridiculous) gestures, and oh so many more reasons. This is just one of them.

“I do,” he almost whispered, before he pulled Joe in for another kiss, this one deeper, Nicky allowing it to last just a little longer.

But not too long. They were still on a mission, and they weren’t done yet. 

“Let’s go,” Nicky said as he pulled away from Joe, receiving a pout from him. “Sorry, mio amore, but there could still be more men.”

“No, you took care of the rest.”

“What?” asked Nicky, helping Joe up from the floor.

“Before I came in here I heard them talking. They were all that was left, so I came in here thinking there were maybe two or three.” Joe gestured to the now six dead bodies surrounding the pair.  
“Wasn't preparing myself for six.”

“You need to be more careful, mio amore.”

“Ah, but you were right behind me.”

“Joe.” Nicky looked into Joe’s eyes. “Please be more careful next time.”

He was serious. Nicky knew they were immortal, and that it was more likely than not that Joe would wake up just fine, but that beat his heart skipped, or that breath that escapes his chest each time is something he would never get used to. He knew Joe felt the same way. He’s been told that by him countless times over their millennia together.

“Okay,” Joe said, taking Nicky’s hand in his. “I will, habibi.”

And with that, Nicky pulled Joe into one, final kiss. This one, even deeper, even longer as they stood together surrounded by people who even dared to try and take Joe away from Nicky.

“But tell me,” Joe said, as he finally pulled apart from Nicky. “You secretly love it when I do that, admit it.”  


Nicky chuckled, always annoyed at how much he really was smitten by Joe’s ridiculous love declarations at times. 

“Never.”

“Hey, boys! We found them!” came Andy’s voice from down the hallway. Nicky could hear some shuffling and the sound of some girls crying from a couple of rooms over.

“Come on, people need us,” said Joe with a smile on his face. Nicky smiled back.

Nicky sheathed his sword, and Joe grabbed his weapons that had been thrown across the floor. Together they ran through the building towards the girls that needed their help, Joe behind Nicky, having his back as always.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this only exists because of @lostmoonmuse on Tumblr who made a funny post about Joe waking up from dying and not actually waking up until Nicky kisses him so....thank her! I thought it was hilarious and just HAD to write it so here you go!


End file.
